Episode 317 - Matt Johnson

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[upbeat music] Hi there, Simon and Brian here welcoming you to another edition of So the Jerk On Songwriting. Joining us for episode 317 is an English singer and songwriter, best known as founder and ever-present frontman of The The. A true maverick of British music, he has a brand new book hot off the presses entitled Cognitive Dissident. Co-authored with his good friend Jason Wood, it's an engrossing conversational journey through his highly eventful and feverishly creative life. It's our great pleasure to welcome the brilliant Matt Johnson to the show. Our guest was born in Walthamstow, East London in 1961, and spent his early years living above his parents' pub, the Two Puddings, in Stratford. The family later moved to rural Suffolk, then to Essex, where the 11-year-old, an increasingly music obsessed Matt, formed his first band, the glam rock inspired Roadstar, and began writing his own songs. He left school at 15, intent on getting his foot in the door of the music business, and eventually got himself a job as a gopher at De Wolfe Music in the heart of London, Soho. Over time, he learned the studio ropes, rose through the ranks to assistant engineer, and was even able to work on his own material during downtime. It was during this formative period that the concept for The The took shape. Matt's experimental DIY approach, taking